Sick bike in my opinion. The Cdale would be nice and all but the canyons exotic, different, and I've heard their ride quality is amazing. Sadly...never ridden one...but it's on my shortlist of bikes to get.

01-17-2013

Just J

Canyon are definitely on the radar now, think this coming year will be a good one for them and I am seriously considering a HT 29er from them too at some point...

01-17-2013

Bird

If only the Canyon had a Lefty.;)

01-17-2013

limba

Are you in North Amercia? Can you even get Canyons here? Also check out the warranties.

01-17-2013

gavinar

I just got my 2013 flash carbon 3 and am very happy with it. You will not be disappointed with the cannondale . The Canyon i have not ridden but did look into when considering my purchase and they look a quality outfit with some really good germanic attention to detail when it comes to design and more importantly testing . Either way great bikes and i am sure you will love whichever you choose.:thumbsup:

01-17-2013

jayseakay

cannondale is gonna be the best warrant wise. Canyon I believe just has a crash replacement policy for 3 years with a discount on a frame replacement. Not quite as good as cannondale.

01-17-2013

the_marsbar

I wouldn't be able to get the Canyon until the end of April, so I went out and got the Cannondale. It's standing right next to me.

Lovely bike, can't wait to rip out the inner tubes and take it for a spin this weekend :)

01-17-2013

Bird

I've had my Carbon 1 now for 9 months and haven't wished for anything else,serious bike.
Yup...tubes were the first to go.

01-18-2013

zonoskar

In Europe, the Canyon brand is considered something like Huffy in the USA. The same with Cube. They're cheap budget brands that have some nice bikes, but lack real innovation and soul. Cannondale on the other hand....

01-18-2013

dubdryver

Quote:

Originally Posted by zonoskar

In Europe, the Canyon brand is considered something like Huffy in the USA. The same with Cube. They're cheap budget brands that have some nice bikes, but lack real innovation and soul. Cannondale on the other hand....

I don't agree with that statement what so ever. I had a Cube HT when I lived in Germany and it was a fantastic looking bike. The rear triangle had great looking seat/chainstays and had a lot of the innovative stuff the more expensive bikes had but at a friendlier cost. I also had a Canyon as did a friend as well when we were living in Belgium. Great bike there too, but I guess you could say it was more bland. It did perform well though!

The great thing about those bikes were how decent they were spec'd for their price point, and I think that holds true today as it did 10yrs ago when I bought my first Cube. They don't try to market you to death with innovative designs that imply that their product are not even in the same league as the competition. They just make solid bikes with proven components at a fair price.

I think C'dale pretty much lost their soul. They've suffered poor ownership, turning production to overseas no longer able to bear the label "Handmade in the U.S.A.", went bankrupt and getting bought out to fall under the Dorel Industries umbrella, a company that started out making home and office furnishings and and destroyed the good name that GT, Dyno, Iron Horse, and Schwinn once had.

Now in C'dale's, their new line-up of the F29 and Scalpel 29 are both pretty slick, and the present offerings make no indication that they will fall to the same fate as Dorel's other brands..but history does tend to have a way of repeating itself.

I say, if you have access to a Canyon, and you like it along with the way it rides...go for it. The Lefty forks are nice..but so is the price of the Canyon bikes.

01-18-2013

jayseakay

Quote:

Originally Posted by zonoskar

In Europe, the Canyon brand is considered something like Huffy in the USA. The same with Cube. They're cheap budget brands that have some nice bikes, but lack real innovation and soul. Cannondale on the other hand....

I couldn't disagree more.

Canyon is anything but a budget brand. They sponsor a pretty high class mountain biker and a solid team that's gone to worlds.

Not to mention the fact...have you SEEN their TT bike? That things a beast.

Their R&D is anything but lacking in innovation.

01-18-2013

the_marsbar

I had probably gotten the Canyon if it hadn't been for the delivery times. But I have to admit the Cannodale seems like a very complete package. Race-ready out of the box. That's worth to keep in mind as well IMO.

01-18-2013

KERKOVEJ

Quote:

Originally Posted by jayseakay

I couldn't disagree more.

Canyon is anything but a budget brand. They sponsor a pretty high class mountain biker and a solid team that's gone to worlds.

Not to mention the fact...have you SEEN their TT bike? That things a beast.

Their R&D is anything but lacking in innovation.

+1 to what jayseakay said above. Having raced and ridden both brands.....and having had product input with both brands internally....they are similar in terms of quality and innovation. Only major difference between the 2 brands from my perspective is their selling model to the consumer; IBD vs consumer direct. Both brands are at the top of the list when it comes to R & D

01-19-2013

zonoskar

Canyon sponsor a high class mountainbike racer to get rid of the image of budget brand. It's no denying they started out that way. They improved considerably when the contracted the frame designed from Votec when Votec collapsed. But the perception remains, maybe it's to do with their paintscheme? I don't know. The selling model is also pointing in the budget direction, there are no dealers, just a website. Have you found geometry numbers on their website? I can't. That has to be one of the most important info about a bike and they leave it out.

01-19-2013

the_marsbar

I saw the 8.9 in the green team colors at a distribution center/showroom. The green accents on the fork didn't match the green on the frame. Maybe it looks better in more expensive team edition model.

I do think the black/white/red looks awesome though. My only problem with them are the delivery times. That, and the fact that it is nearly impossible to try a bike for size (and the online sizing calculator is inadequate IMO).

And yes, their prices are good, but if you compare the Canyon that would be delivered in week 9 (9.9 SL) with the Cannondale I just got, I think the Cannondale is better value for money.

01-19-2013

eb1888

Quote:

Originally Posted by zonoskar

Have you found geometry numbers on their website? I can't. That has to be one of the most important info about a bike and they leave it out.

The Geo is under a tab you missed. First choose a model like the 8.9 CF SLX by selecting the Go to Bike. Then scroll down a little until you see the frame. The Equipment + Geometry tab gives you the full geo if you scroll down below the equipment. Here's the page with the tab already chosen--
.Canyon | Mountainbikes | Grand Canyon CF SLX 29 8.9
This geo is among the best out there. The six year warranty is replacement. They offer a sliding discount frame replacement plan for crashes.
Here's a review by the guys at twentynineinches--Canyon Presents 2013 CF SLX Carbon Hard Tail 29"ers
If I could get this in the US I would choose it. I would like a frame, but the current frame price is not as good a value as a complete. A Scott Scale 910 is less expensive , even through a dealer without a discount. I hope they re-evaluate that.

In the US, a sponsored rider won the Leadville 100 last summer on a factory prototype bike. The Topeak/Ergon team won the multi-day TransAlp also last summer with a two bike team.

01-19-2013

dickt3030

Canyon has had issues getting bikes to the US and servicing US customers. I think they make awesome bikes, and if I lived in Europe I would be interested, but not in the US. Can you even imagine dealing with a warranty claim? Cannondale has true heart, soul, and innovation, is serviced everywhere on the Front Range, and makes undeniably great bikes. Plus, uh... Lefty! Duh.

01-19-2013

dubdryver

Quote:

Originally Posted by zonoskar

They improved considerably when the contracted the frame designed from Votec when Votec collapsed.

This I didn't know....I use to drool over the Votec bikes when I lived in Germany. A full suspension carbon fiber frame that weighed around 23lb back in 2000. Probably lighter as a custom... Pretty nasty bike for the time!

01-19-2013

zonoskar

Tell me about it :) I used to ride a Zaskar with a Votec fork. Best forks I ever owned. Light, stiff.

01-19-2013

jayseakay

Quote:

Originally Posted by zonoskar

Canyon sponsor a high class mountainbike racer to get rid of the image of budget brand. It's no denying they started out that way. They improved considerably when the contracted the frame designed from Votec when Votec collapsed. But the perception remains, maybe it's to do with their paintscheme? I don't know. The selling model is also pointing in the budget direction, there are no dealers, just a website. Have you found geometry numbers on their website? I can't. That has to be one of the most important info about a bike and they leave it out.

Cannondale would probably be best considering the go-bewteen would be seemless. That is Canyon's only real flaw right now...not being accessible to the US. Maybe they'll get there. Who knows? But you can't knock their bikes. They have great geo, great components, and they're race proven.Cannondale is just as good however...both companies offer different things. Personally, I just prefer the look of the Canyons better.